Arts
Norfolk is the arts capital of Virginia and is the home to the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Ballet Company, and the Commonwealth Theatre Company. The city hosts the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, which highlights the cultural achievement of the Asian-Pacific community. The downtown area is also the site of the Attucks Theater, the oldest theater to be owned and operated by African Americans.
The Virginia Opera Company also performs in the region regularly, and residents can enjoy an evening of world-class entertainment. If ballet is your passion, then you’re in for a treat. The Virginia Ballet Theatre is Hampton Road’s only professional ballet company and is one of only two companies in the state and offers a full-performance schedule.
Hampton Roads is also home to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. It has promoted classical music as an art for over eighty years and has won awards for excellence in the arts. The Orchestra recently debuted at Carnegie Hall, in Manhattan, to critical acclaim, and each year performs over one hundred and forty classical, pops, education and outreach concerts. Dedicated to promoting classical music, the Orchestra has also supported the efforts of various arts festivals, including the Virginia Arts Festival and the Virginia Opera.